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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2004 Nov-Dec;19(6):369–380. doi: 10.1177/153331750401900605

The emotional ramifications of unmet need in dementia caregiving

Joseph E Gaugler 1, Keith A Anderson, Corinne R Leach 2, Charles D Smith, Frederick A Schmitt, Marta Mendiondo 3
PMCID: PMC10833708  PMID: 15633946

Abstract

Using a unique measure of unmet need that taps into several dimensions of informal long-term care, the present study included data from 694 informal caregivers of persons suffering from dementia at different times in the caregiving career (e.g., at home, following institutionalization, following the death of the care recipient). Multivariate regression models found that unmet need for either confidante or formal support had key implications for caregivers’ emotional distress in each of the care situations. The findings suggest that conceptual models should incorporate unmet need as a viable predictor of caregiving outcomes and that assessment of unmet need may provide guidance in the development of more refined psychosocial and community-based intervention protocols.

Keywords: dementia, Alzheimer's disease, palliativecare, unmet need, activities of daily living, instrumentalactivities of daily living, caregiver

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Contributor Information

Joseph E. Gaugler, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky..

Corinne R. Leach, Graduate Center in Gerontology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky..

Marta Mendiondo, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky..

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